End of the Skeleton Season - Almost

So last weekend was the Western Regionals championship race series, a 3-race series to determine who will go to the 2008-2009 National Team Trials next October. Those nationally ranked 9th and lower are required to race in order to re-qualify for Team Trials, and only the top 3 races qualify, so a lot was at stake and everyone was tense and nervous.

(To summarize a long story, I'm ranked 9th; the US determines national rank due to the FIBT World Rank, and the #8 girl was 4 higher in World Rank due to having participated in a couple more races than me. It was close...)

My friend C. (ranked 6th so she didn't have to race) and I tried to keep things lively and positive; I loaned the boys this crazy pink speedsuit that made them look like a power ranger, which was hilarious (will post a couple pics when I get them from someone as there are none on my camera). Homemade candy from C's mom helped too.

Women's Race(s)
I had four of my fastest pushes of the season in the Fri & Sat races - apparently I'm not one that can push fast in training but races bring out my best. E.g. in training, I would THINK I was pushing hard and push a 5.55 or 5.60, then in the races I pushed mid to low 5.30s! That 3 tenths at the start can work out to 6-9 tenths at the finish, so I was happy. Except - my PR push is a 5.30 flat, and all I want is to get into the 5.20s...now I've hit 5.30 flat 4 or 5 times. AAARGH! SO CLOSE!

In the end, I won both the Friday and Saturday races, so my "best 2 of 3" put me in first place overall. So, I opted not to race in the Sunday race to leave more points up for grabs and mix up the race for 2nd and 3rd, and instead foreran for both the womens and mens race.

(Don't think it was all altruistic though. It was also actually for a selfish reason that I didn't race: racing I would have only gotten my two race runs, but the ice was so nice I wanted more, and forerunning allowed me to get four runs, tee hee!)

Women's overall finish:


Mens Race(s)
For Brad, he finished third in the Friday and Saturday races, and then was part of a spectacular joint-finish on Sunday. And I mean SpecTACular! Brad was fourth after his first run (and runs are timed to the hundredth of a second), and then had a solid second run. To quote the announcer "Brad is having a perfect run, the most flawless run we've seen all day!" Then, the guy who was third-place after the first heat took his second run, and tied Brad's combined time. We were all at the top, shouting and cheering in excitement. THEN, the SECOND place guy took his second run....and suddenly the announcer shouts over the loudspeaker "I'm speechless. Speechless! Ladies and gentlemen, I've never seen this before, but we have a THREE-WAY tie! Timed to the hundredth, and over two runs, we have three IDENTICAL combined finish times!"

The Sunday mens race finish looked like this: first, second-second-second, fifth, etc. So cool!

The boys 3-way tie (1st on the left, the three 2nds on the right):


Overall, Brad finished 3rd, so we both get to participate in Team Trials next fall and have the chance to re-earn our spots on the National Team.

The boys overall results:


Bobsledding
So, I tried bobsledding out after the Saturday race...super fun, and awesome to be able to see the track so clearly, but unless I could drive 100% of the time and never brake, it's not for me. My back has ached for the last 3 days from my one and only braking run, from only halfway up the track! (Plus, don't tell the bobsledders, but I've always thought bobsleds look like a 1950s era movie spaceship...don't lie, you agree!)